Pickering decries ‘expanded’ political appointments at State

On this week’s episode of “Conversations with Nicholas Kralev,” we conclude our conversation with Ambassador Thomas Pickering, former undersecretary of state for political affairs, about U.S. diplomacy in the 21st century, the Foreign Service and the increasing number of political appointees at the State Department, in positions previously help by career diplomats.

He also says that political ambassadors should be no more than 10 percent, instead of the current 30 percent — a proposal first made by former Vice President Al Gore when he was a senator, Pickering notes.